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AHMEDABAD SANITATION ACTION LAB Under the URBAN WATER AND SANITATION FOR HEALTH (URBAN WASH ALLIANCE)

A Report on Institutional Mapping OF ‘Wash’ Service Delivery in Municipal Schools

Prepared by

Urban Management Centre

Ahmedabad Sanitation Action Lab

Urban Management Centre 2



Ahmedabad Sanitation Action Lab (ASAL) The Ahmedabad Sanitation Action Lab (ASAL) is a three year action research (2014-2017) for implementing innovative solutions to school sanitation and sanitation problems in slums and slum-like settlements of Ahmedabad, in coordination with the government, NGOs and corporate partners. ASAL is led by the Urban Management Centre (UMC) in partnership with Government of Gujarat (GoG) and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). The program is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). ASAL's resource partners include Sintex Industries Ltd. (Sintex) and its associate partners include Mahila Housing Trust (MHT), MICA and Theatre Media Centre (TMC). The program will provide technical assistance to the AMC for strengthening community engagement, improving operational and management processes for provision of water-sanitation services, and designing a targeted behavior change communication campaign.

Urban Management Centre The Urban Management Centre (UMC) is a women promoted not-for-profit organization, that works towards professionalizing urban management in India and worldwide. UMC provides technical assistance and support to city governments and facilitates change through peer-to-peer learning processes. It enhances the capacity of city governments by providing expertise and ready access to innovations on good governance implemented in India and abroad. It facilitates city governments to design, implement and evaluate municipal development and management projects. UMC extensively works in the areas of urban water and sanitation, heritage management, urban planning, urban health, municipal finance, urban management, urban transportation and institutional restructuring. More details on www.umcasia.org

http://www.umcasia.org/



AHMEDABAD

SANITATION ACTION

LAB INSTITUTIONAL MAPPING OF „WASH‟

SERVICE DELIVERY IN MUNICIPAL

SCHOOLS,

AN ACTION RESEARCH PROGRAM FOR URBAN WATER AND

SANITATION FOR HEALTH (URBAN WASH) IMPROVEMENT

2014-17

April, 2015

CONTACT DETAILS

Manvita Baradi

Director, UMC [email protected] Tel: +91 79 27546403 / 1599 http://umcasia.org/asal

mailto:[email protected]

http://umcasia.org/asal



CONTENTS ACRONYMS .......................................................................................................................................................... 6

PROGRAM BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................ 8

INSTITUTIONAL MAPPING OF „WASH‟ SERVICE DELIVERY IN MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS, AHMEDABAD ... 9

1.1 National Framework of Education ............................................................................................................ 9

1.2 Universalization of elementary education ................................................................................................. 9

1.3 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan ............................................................................................................................... 9

1.4 Education and WASH in urban India ....................................................................................................... 10

1.5 Institutional Mapping for WASH in municipal schools ............................................................................ 11

1.6 Roles and Responsibilities of Institutions ................................................................................................ 14

1.6.1 Institutions at National Level ................................................................................................................... 14

1.6.2 Institutions at State Level ........................................................................................................................ 14

1.6.3 Institutions at City Level.......................................................................................................................... 16

1.7 Key Issues and Challenges ....................................................................................................................... 17



ACRONYMS

ACE Assistant City Engineer

AMC Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation

AO Administrative Officer

ASAL Ahmedabad Sanitation Action Lab

ASHA Accredited Social Health Activist

BRCs Block Resource Centres

CRCs Cluster Resource Centres

CSR Corporate Social Responsibility

CTE College For Teacher Education

CWSN Children With Special Needs

DIET District Institutes for Education and Training

DISE District Information System for Education

DPE Directorate of Primary Education

DPEP District Primary Education Program

GCEE Gujarat Council of Elementary Education

GCERT Gujarat Council of Education Research and Training

GSTB Gujarat State Textbook board

GWA Gujarat Wash Alliance

IASE Institute Of Advanced Studies In Education

ICT Information and Communication Technology

IDMI Infrastructure Development of Minority Institutions

IEC Information Communication and Education

IEDC Integrated Education for Disabled Children

IS Indian Standard

MDG Millennium Development Goals

MDM Mid-Day Meal

MHRD Ministry of Human Resource and Development

MoUD Ministry of Urban Development

MPLAD Member of Parliament Local Area Development Fund

MSB Municipal School Board

NCERT National Council of Educational Research and Training

NCTE National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE)



NGOs Non-Government Organizations

O&M Operation and Maintenance

PTTI Primary Teacher Training Institute

RMSA Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan

RO Reverse Osmosis

RTE Right to Education

SMC School Management Committee

SPQEM Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madarsas

SSA Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

SWM Solid Waste Management

UDD Urban Development & Urban Housing Department

UEE Universalization Of Elementary Education

ULB Urban local body

UNICEF United Nations‟ Children Fund

UMC Urban management centre

URC Urban Resource Centre

USAID United States Agency for International Development

UT Union Territory

WASH Water-sanitation and hygiene

WCD Women and child development

WHO World Health Organisation

VOs Voluntary Organizations



PROGRAM BACKGROUND

Ahmedabad Sanitation Action Lab (ASAL) is an action-research program for finding and

implementing innovative and inclusive solutions to urban sanitation problems in slums and slum like

settlements of Ahmedabad. ASAL intends to address the health of the citizens through improved

water and sanitation. Municipal schools will be at the core of the intervention by introducing

students to concepts of water-sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Students will become the

ambassadors of change and will bring WASH learning to their homes and neighborhoods. ASAL will

be piloted in select areas of Ahmedabad. Lessons from the program will be disseminated to other

cities across Gujarat and India. ASAL is envisaged as a resource pool of valuable lessons learnt in

water sector.

The program aims to provide hands-on technical assistance, strengthen community engagement,

improve operational and management processes for provision of water-sanitation services and

design a targeted behavior change communication campaign. A Gujarat WASH Alliance (GWA) will

be formed and operationalized over the program period which along with public and private sector

partners will house and disseminate the learning from ASAL and from other initiatives from across

the Globe.

This report focuses on institutional mapping of WASH services in schools and key issues and

challenges



INSTITUTIONAL MAPPING OF „WASH‟ SERVICE

DELIVERY IN MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS,

AHMEDABAD 1.1 NATIONAL FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATION

Education is a fundamental right of every child. The Constitution of India, under its article 21-A,

states that every state shall provide free and compulsory education to all the children of age six to

fourteen. Every state Government has to ensure that every child receives elementary education up

to 8th Std.

“Education” is on the concurrent list after the Constitutional amendment in 1976, which implies that

the union Government and state Government, both share the responsibility for making policies for

education. However, the provisions of union Government prevail over the state Government for

any subject under the concurrent list.

1.2 UNIVERSALIZATION OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

In 2010, the country achieved a historic milestone when Article 21-A and the Right of Children to

Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 became operative on 1st April 2010. The

enforcement of Article 21- A and the RTE Act represented a momentous step forward in our

country‟s struggle for universalizing elementary education. To fulfill the vision of providing equal

educational opportunities for all, the Department has laid down the following objectives:

To reinforce the national and integrative character of education in partnership with

States/UTs.

To improve quality and standards of school education and literacy towards building a society

committed to Constitutional values.

To universalize elementary education in keeping with the rights conferred under the RTE

Act.

To universalize opportunities for quality secondary education.

To establish a fully literate society.

These objectives are intended to be accomplished through the following major programs of the

Department:

1. Elementary level: Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Mid-Day Meal (MDM)

2. Secondary level: Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), Model Schools,

3. Vocational Education, Girls‟ Hostel, Inclusive Education of the Disabled, ICT at School

4. Adult Education: Saakshar Bharat

5. Teacher Education: Scheme for Strengthening Teacher Education

6. Women‟s education: Mahila Samakhya

7. Minority Education: Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madarsas (SPQEM)

8. Infrastructure Development of Minority Institutions (IDMI)

Source: (SSA, 2012)

1.3 SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is one of the flagship programs of the Government of India for

achievement of universalization of elementary education (UEE) in a time bound manner. The scheme

is being implemented in partnership with state governments across the country.



The scheme‟s key objective is to bridge the gap between demand and supply for school

infrastructure. The scheme provides new schools in settlements which do not have schooling

facilities and also provides support to strengthen existing school infrastructure through provision of

additional class rooms, toilets, drinking water, maintenance grant and school improvement grants.

Apart from infrastructural improvements, the SSA also supports the capacity building of teachers by

extensive training, grants for developing teaching-learning materials and strengthening of the

academic support structure at a cluster, block and district level. SSA has a special focus on girl's

education and children with special needs (CWSN).

1.4 EDUCATION AND WASH IN URBAN INDIA

Along with striving towards realization of the norms of Millennium Development Goal (MDG), and

universalization of elementary education; the Government of India empowers all its citizen with the

Right to Education Act, and also providing with the SSA, the free and compulsory education for

children, there is remarkable increase in enrollments in schools, however, only a marginal dent has

been made in school dropout rate.

Universalization of elementary education (UEE) is one of the major goals of Millennium

Development Goals (MDGs) that were established following the Millennium Summit of the

United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration. To

ensure UEE in the country, the Government of India has empowered its citizen with Right to

Education Act in the year 2009. It is followed by modification in schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

(SSA) and launching of new schemes like Mid- Day Meal (MDM). All these efforts have brought in a

remarkable increase in enrollment of children in schools, however, only a marginal dent has been

made in school dropouts rate.

The RTE Act and other schemes provide necessary infrastructures to improve the enrollment of

children in schools. However, the WASH infrastructures and its awareness in schools yet to receive

its due importance, because of that the school dropout out before completion of 8 years of

education is still on the higher side.

In urban areas, the municipal schools poor

condition of WASH infrastructure has led to

increase in absenteeism and a higher dropout

rate. The recent survey of municipal schools,

conducted by Urban Management Center-an

Ahmedabad based organization in municipal

schools of Ahmedabad, also reveals a severe

lack of adequate and clean WASH

infrastructure. The issues of poor WASH

infrastructure adversely affects the

attendance of girls who either avoid

drinking adequate water in the fear of

using dirty toilets or remain absent

from school especially when menstruating

that finally led to drop out of girls.

Secondly, this exacerbates the susceptibility

of students to diarrheal infection and other

infectious diseases due to poor sanitation facilities and unsafe drinking water. There are several

studies which confirm that incidence of diarrheal death is highest in India. The lack of awareness

about WASH activities like hand washing after defecation and before having meal is a major cause of

diarrheal infection and sometimes deaths in the early age.

Figure 7: Reasons for school drop out



The District Information System for Education (DISE) suggests that schools with quality WASH

programs can effectively reduce the transmission of diseases. “More than 40 per cent of diarrhea

cases in schoolchildren result from transmission in schools rather than homes.” (Source: DISE, 2013)

This implies that WASH infrastructure in schools has a direct bearing on universalization of

elementary education in India.

1.5 INSTITUTIONAL MAPPING FOR WASH IN MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

One of the three pillars of intervention under the ASAL program is to facilitate infrastructural

improvements in municipal schools. Such improvements complimented by activities to change

behavior of students will bring the desired results in schools. This section highlights the mapping of

the stakeholders and their roles and responsibilities in the provision of WASH infrastructure.

Conducting a stakeholder analysis is a useful tool in identifying the processes involved in the

implementation of WASH in the school context, the various interest groups, and the roles they

perform. Stakeholders from the national, state and local levels for planning, executing and monitoring

of the programs have been mapped. This institutional mapping is based on literature review,

information available on government websites and key informant interviews with administrative and

technical staffs of relevant Government offices.

Table 1: Major legal instruments relevant to Institutional Mapping

Instrument Objective

The Constitution of India Provides the broad legal and policy framework within which all water

sector legislation, policies and development plans are developed.

Right to Education Act 2009 Universalization of Elementary education

Rules and Orders of Gujarat

State 2010

Rules of Gujarat State to implement the RTE Act in the state

Sarva Shisha Abhiyan A Government of India flagship program to facilitate in universalization of

elementary education

School Health Program To take care of several determinants of health like, sanitation and hygiene,

nutrition and safe drinking water.

The Legal instruments referred here have significant role in the education system of India. The first

legal instrument, “The Constitution of India” provides every citizen, the birth right to have free and

compulsory education while the Right to Education Act-2009, facilitates in legitimizing the

constitutional provision of education for all.

Simultaneously, the various rules and orders of the Government of Gujarat under the RTE-2010

provide the legal framework in the context of Gujarat. The enforcement of an Act is assisted by

government aided schemes to guarantee success in achieving the desired objectives. The Ministry of

Human Resources and Development (MHRD) has initiated the “Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), an

integrated education scheme for universalization of elementary education across the nation. The

“Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram” (RBSK) is another scheme being supported by the

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, under its National Health mission scheme to address the

determinants of health. This is a new initiative aiming at early identification and early intervention for

children from birth to 18 years to cover 4 „D‟s viz. Defects at birth, Deficiencies, Diseases,

Development delays including disability. Under this program the school children age 6 to 18 years

are screened by Mobile Health teams for deficiencies, diseases, developmental delays including

disability, adolescent health at the local schools at least once a year.



Similarly the Health and Family Welfare Government of Gujarat is also operating School Health

program in collaboration with Education Department & Women and Child Development

Department started since 1997. The program is now integrated with the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya

Karyakram and regular health checkup activities is carried out through dedicated mobile health

teams.

Table 2: Stakeholders at the national, state and district levels

Level Institution

NATIONAL Ministry of Human resource and Development (MHRD)

National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)

National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE)

Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD)

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW)

GUJARAT STATE LEVEL Department of Education,

Gujarat Council of Elementary Education (GCEE)

Gujarat Council of Education Research and Training (GCERT),

Gujarat State Textbook board (GSTB)

Urban Development & Urban Housing Department (UDD)

Health and Family Welfare Department

DISTRICT LEVEL District Institute for Education and Training (DIET)

Urban Resource Centre (URC)

CITY LEVEL Municipal School Board

Road and Building Department

Water Supply Department

Sewerage Department

SWM Department

Health Department

Estate Department

INDEPENDENT AGENCIES Multilateral Agency (UNICEF, WHO etc.)

Charitable trust and NGOs

Corporate House ( CSR)

Member of Parliament Local Area Development Fund (MPLAD)

The national and state level institutions are primarily responsible for framing policies and overall

governance of various schemes for education. These institutions also provide the required financial

assistance for the successful implementation of policies and programs at the ground level. SSA at the

state level is implemented by the State Council of Elementary Education. The scheme has major

focus on universalization of elementary education and ensuring WASH infrastructures in schools.

The State contributes its share to the centrally sponsored schemes. There are various State

government sponsored education schemes such as the Kanya Kelavani, Pravesh Utsav, Vidyasahayk,

Vidyalaxmi and Vidyadeep scheme etc. The Gujarat Council for Educational Research and Training

(GCERT) and the Gujarat State Textbook Board (GSTB) undertake research work for improving the

school curriculum and textbooks. The central government institutions -MHRD and National Council

for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and National Council for Teacher Education

(NCTE) also support the state departments in their endeavor.

The district and city level institutions are responsible for execution of the policies and program at

the field level.

The Municipal School Board formed under the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation is the pivotal

body at the city level which is responsible for the overall school administration. The school board is

supported by the engineering and health departments of the municipal corporation.

The school management committee which is a multi-stakeholder committee at the school level

monitors school administration. Several multilateral agencies nationally recognized charitable trusts

and non-government organizations also work for education and WASH in schools of India.



Figure 8: Institutional Framework



1.6 ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF INSTITUTIONS

1.6.1 Institutions at National Level

Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD)

The MHRD is responsible for formulating the National Policy on Education and also ensure that it is

implemented in letter and spirit. The Department of School Education & Literacy under MHRD is

responsible for providing policy guidelines on education to states. The ministry also provides

financial assistance to state governments through several education schemes and initiatives like Sarva

Shiksha Abhiyan, Mid-day meal etc.

National Council of Educational Research and Training, (NCERT)

The NCERT assists and advises the MHRD in the implementation of its policies and major programs

in the field of school education. The NCERT undertakes aids and promotes research, in-service

training, develops education techniques, and publishes books. The NCERT assists the state education

departments in achieving their objectives and also extends financial support to State Council of

Education Research and Training.

National Council for Teacher Education, (NCTE)

The NCTE works to achieve planned and coordinated development of the teacher education system

throughout the country and regulation and adherence to norms and standards in the teacher

education system. The NCTE covers the entire gamut of teacher education programs including

research and training of persons for equipping them to teach at pre- primary, primary, secondary

and senior secondary stages in schools, and non-formal education, part-time education, adult

education and distance (correspondence) education courses.

Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD)

The MoUD helps to formulate policies, provides financial and technical support to coordinate the

activities of various central ministries, state governments and other nodal authorities and monitor

the programmes concerning all the issues of urban development in the country.

Urban development is a state subject and is governed by the municipal acts of respective state

governments. The MoUD has circulated a Model Municipal Law (MML) that provides guidance to

states towards implementation of provisions of 74th CAA and acts as a resource from which states

can tailor their own municipal acts. The MML classifies municipal functions into i) core functions such

as waste supply, drainage ii) Additional “functions assigned by Government”, so long as there is

appropriate underwriting of the costs such as primary education and curative health.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare:

The Ministry supports the education system from a health perspective. Under its “Rashtriya Bal

Swasthya Karyakaram”, health checkup of every student is conducted in the schools. Students also

receive free medicines and other medical treatment from Government hospitals if required.

1.6.2 Institutions at State Level

Department of Education, Government of Gujarat: relevant

Directorate of Primary Education, (DPE) under the Department of Education, Government of

Gujarat, is the main regulating authority in the state. It is responsible for implementing the policies as

determined by the state Government with regard to primary education. The DPE disburses fund for

http://www.ncte-india.org/norms.asp



salary of teachers as well the state share under the SSA program. The DPE also ensure the pre-

primary and primary education for all children in the state. The recruitment and trainings of teachers

is the responsibilities of DPE. The DPE also instruct and guide the implementing agencies at district

and urban local governance.

Gujarat Council of Elementary Education (GCEE)

Gujarat Council of Elementary Education, (GCEE) in coordination with Directorate of Primary

Education, implements the central Government sponsored scheme, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in

the state. The GCEE ensures that new schools are developed in settlements that currently do not

have any schools as well as strengthens existing school infrastructure through provision of additional

class rooms, toilets, drinking water, maintenance grant and school improvement grants.

Gujarat Council of Educational Research and Training (GCERT)

The Gujarat Council of Educational Research & Training is one of the Head of Departments under

Education Department of Government of Gujarat. The Council is primarily responsible for quality

improvement in school education – in elementary as well as secondary education. It is also

responsible for improving the curriculum reformation, syllabi construction, instructional material and

evaluation strategies, imparting training, deliberation, different methodology, innovative practices,

researches etc. to explore appropriate solutions to educational challenges with the current varying

time.

The GCERT has 26 district level institutions called DIETs (District Institutes of Education and

Training) that impart pre-service and in-service training to the primary teachers of the State.

The major activities of GCERT are:

Undertake, assist, promote and co-ordinate researches in all branches of education.

Organize in-service and pre-service training programs for primary and secondary teachers

mainly at advance level.

Exercise academic and administrative control over DIETs, CTEs and IASEs.

Exercise academic control over PTTIs and primary schools affiliated to District Education

Committees.

Conduct research, innovations, case studies and experiments, projects in the field of primary

education.

Develop and disseminate improved educational techniques and practices in the schools.

Undertake the preparation and publication of reference material, supplementary materials,

periodicals and other literature as may be necessary for furtherance of its objectives.

Implement programs related to DPEP, Adolescence Education, Population Education, IEDC,

IPTT-ITV, Distance Education and Environment Education.

Provide academic assistance/guidance to educational institutions through visits to concerned

offices, CRCs, BRCs and schools.

Improve, revise and upgrade the curriculum of training colleges with the changing times.

Gujarat State Text Book Board, (GSTB)

The GSTB is responsible for preparing, printing and distribution of textbooks as approved by the

State Government. The GSTB also prepare and provide other complementary reading for teachers

and students. It also undertakes research work to improve the quality of education material.

Health and Family Welfare Department

The department conducts School Health Program every year. This is the single, largest, health

program operating in the state of Gujarat. Government of Gujarat, Department of Health in



collaboration with Education Department & Women and Child Development started innovative

School Health Program since 1997.A State level steering committee, under the chairmanship of Hon.

Health Minister takes important decision about School Health Program. The School Health Program

of Gujarat is integrated with Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) and regular health checkup

activities is carried out through dedicated mobile health teams. The Urban Health Centre

coordinates the RBSK in the respective ward.

Urban Development and Urban Housing Department

The department is the regulating and policy making body for all urban local bodies in the state. The

department, through Municipal Corporations provides necessary financial support and monitors the

status of sanitation in municipal primary schools.

The Gujarat Municipal Corporation Act, 2013, states that “It shall be incumbent on the Corporation

to make reasonable and adequate provision, by any means or measures which it is lawfully

competent to it to use or to take, for the matter- “maintaining, aiding and suitably accommodating

Schools for primary education”(The Gujarat Municipal Corporations Act, 2013)

Municipal Corporations provide 20% of funds towards running of schools and also provides non-

grantable fund which is not provided by the State Education Department and SSA schemes.

1.6.3 Institutions at City Level

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation

The responsibility for implementation of the RTE Act has been vested in State Government /UT

Admin and local authority. After the 74th Constitutional Amendments, the mandatory and

discretionary functions of ULBs have been defined. Although, primary education is not a core

function as defined under the 12th Schedule of the Constitution, the AMC has a strong institutional

framework to provide primary education to its citizens.

The governing structure of AMC consists of the political and administrative wings. The political wing

is an elected body of councilors headed by a mayor. The municipal commissioner, from the IAS

cadre heads the administrative wing and is responsible for the strategic and operational planning and

management of the Corporation. The city has been decentralised into six administrative zones, each

headed by a Dy. Municipal Commissioner.

The zonal administration is further decentralized into wards. There are three major responsibilities

at the ward level – engineering, health and sanitation. The ward offices are responsible for inspection

of hotels, hawkers and small shopkeepers from hygienic point of view, cleaning of public toilets,

collection, transportation and final disposal of solid waste, availing basic details of the epidemic

immediately to inform higher authority regarding disease controlling measures etc.

The Municipal School Board is the main body under Municipal Corporation which ensures free and

compulsory education for every child under its jurisdiction. There are several line departments

under the control of Municipal commissioner which facilitate the functioning of schools. Other key

departments that play an important role in the well-functioning of municipal schools are- engineering,

solid waste management, health, roads and buildings department and estate department.

In order to provide adequate educational infrastructure, the Corporation constructs new school

buildings with all necessary WASH facilities. It also provides and maintains the WASH infrastructure

in schools for instance-ensures supply of treated water, O&M of sewerage system for disposal of

waste water/ sludge, solid waste management and school environs, etc.



The Municipal Corporation contributed 20% of the total grantable funds (primarily the salary of

school teachers and staffs) to Municipal School Board while the remaining 80% financial support

comes from the State Government. Additionally, the Municipal Corporation is responsible for 100%

non-grantable funds to School Board to meet expenses other than salary.

Municipal School Board

The Municipal School Board is responsible for the overall management of schools which come under

the purview of the municipal corporation. The chairman of the school board is appointed amongst

elected officials of the AMC while the Administrative officer (AO) who is the chief executive officer

of the board is appointed by the Government of Gujarat. The major activities of the board are:

Implementation of Government schemes for primary education for instance, Kanya Kelavani,

Vidyadeep Yojana, vidyalaxmi yojana etc.

Recruitment of assistance teachers,

Implementation of mid- day meal scheme,

School sanitation program,

School health check-up program,

Construction of classrooms,

Computer education,

Distribution of books and uniforms etc.

School Management Committee (SMC)

The school management committee is the smallest unit of administration in the entire municipal

school framework. SMCs have been constituted under the RTE with an objective of getting more

participation and involvement of the community in the overall development of children and school.

The committee consists of 12 members including 9 parents of school children, the school principal,

an elected member and a student of the school. The chairman of the committee is always amongst

the parents in the committee. The SMC is responsible for the management of school including

preparation of the school development plan, management of school development grant, monitoring

of civil work, the operation & maintenance of the school infrastructures especially the WASH and

overall performance and progress of children of the school. The SMC coordinates with the school

board and the cluster resource centre (CRC) for its administrative activities.

Independent Organizations

Some multilateral agencies like UNICEF and USAID working for WASH in schools. These agencies

provide technical as well as financial support through NGOs working closely with the schools and

also with the concern department directly. Some voluntary organizations (VOs) and charitable

trusts also directly support the WASH requirements in the schools as per the organisation capacity.

1.7 KEY ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

It has been observed that while new infrastructure blocks get constructed within school

campuses, the old dilapidated and dysfunctional blocks are seldom demolished. While the

construction of new blocks comes under the purview of the Gujarat Council of Elementary

Education (GCEE), through the SSA scheme, the responsibility for demolition of

dysfunctional and dilapidated construction comes under the purview of the municipal

corporation. There is a serious lack of coordination between the GCEE and the municipal

corporation.

There is no formal linkage established between the GCEE and the municipal corporation to

coordinate construction of WASH infrastructure in municipal schools. Discussions with SSA



and ward engineers of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation revealed that the ward level

assistant city engineers (ACE) are not consulted while finalizing the location of the toilet

blocks. For instance, in one of the schools surveyed, the security cabin has been constructed

on the sewer line of the AMC.

There is minimal support for adequate operations and maintenance of WASH infrastructure.

It has been observed that in numerous schools, the toilets are cleaned only once even

though the school runs different shifts. In the case of Ahmedabad, the cleaner gets a meager

remuneration of Rs.450/- per shift per month.

This is also a reason, why toilets are typically built as a stand-alone unit at the ground floor.

School officials have cited this as a reason for vandalism by surrounding communities.

The SSA framework advocates, to follow the IS Code for toilet designs and requirements in

schools. The SSA framework also talks about child friendly toilet designs. However, these

guidelines are not implemented in schools. There is a severe lack in the number of toilets

that are required in schools as per IS norms. The design of toilets and handwash basins and

drinking water stations are also not child friendly.

There is a need to improve WASH related curriculum within the textbooks prepared by the

GCERT. There are numerous initiatives undertaken by the municipal corporation as well

which need to be tied to the school curriculum.

There are numerous other institutional arrangements formed by AMC under other

government schemes, such as the Mahila Arogya Samitis under National Health Mission,

Urban ASHA workers, other self-help groups formed under the slum-networking program.

There needs to be coordination/inter-linkages between these organisations and the school

management committees.

Tie-ups between skill development programs and municipal schools should be developed.

This would ensure developing multiple skills. A majority of students in these schools come

from lower income families where both the parents are working. Due to the lack of safe

environments, it has been observed that many students who attend schools in the morning

shifts are on the school campus till the evenings.

End of Document

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